"There's a tendency to be complacent because nothing's happened," Springer says, "so what this does is raises the bar a little bit to a level of more concern."

Springer feels confident security at all U.S. embassies and facilities has been heightened because of this threat.

Springer says precautions include:

making sure under-the-car searches are thorough

removing people from their automobiles

searching vehicle trunks

Springer says we should be concerned about the threat of terrorism in the Pacific, Europe, and here at home as well.
Editor's note: Springer will be chatting with WRAL OnLine visitors on Friday from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Look for the chat icon on our homepage.